Manny to the Dodgers

[Nerf DPOY]

Diversity? Can he hit and play LF well?


We have a Native American CF, FWIW.

[nickagneta]

The trade that had to happen happened. The fact that we had to give up a couple of guys who I feel weren't going to make it in this town anyway, is negligible. In order to get someone to slip into Manny's spot that just might be as productive or even more productive than Manny for the rest of this year, they had to go.

Jason Bay produced a .282 average, 22 HRs, 64 RBIs, 72 runs, and near .900 OPS hitting fourth with this order around him:

McLouth
Sanchez
Doumit
Bay
Nady

How good is Bay going to be in this order:

Perdroia
Youkilis
Ortiz
Bay
Drew
Lowell

And apparently, at least I haven't seen it reported, the Sox didn't have to pay the remaining $7 million of Manny's salary.

I like the trade. I like Bay. He will be less expensive over the few years and is a good fit in this lineup. He's no Manny but it's a lot better than having to play Coco and Ellsbury everyday the rest of the year.

[winsomme]

Let's face it, it was addition by subtraction, and they did everything they could to (and paid a premium) to do it without losing much in the way of production.

This was a classic Red Sox/Yankees move.  In pure value, this is not a great move, but the Sox can easily afford it both in money and prospects, because they felt they couldn't just "punt" and trade Manny straight up for prospects.

This deal does not excite me...but it does make a lot of sense.

Not to mention, we kept Bay from going to Tampa, which also helps us in the race this year.

i disagree....i think the best chance of making the playoffs was to keep Manny.

they could have packaged Hansen and Moss and gone after another reliever.

now our offense is less potent and we still have pitching problems....

Merloni was saying that our lineup just got deeper because it adds one more guy to Youk, Lowell, Drew etc....

how exactly did you get deeper when all you did was swap Manny for Bay?

personally, i think this is the wave of the future for us.....guys like Bay who are solid all-around good guys who are about as exciting as a sack of potatoes......just like the A's but with more money....

[Donoghus]

Let's face it, it was addition by subtraction, and they did everything they could to (and paid a premium) to do it without losing much in the way of production.

This was a classic Red Sox/Yankees move.  In pure value, this is not a great move, but the Sox can easily afford it both in money and prospects, because they felt they couldn't just "punt" and trade Manny straight up for prospects.

This deal does not excite me...but it does make a lot of sense.

Not to mention, we kept Bay from going to Tampa, which also helps us in the race this year.

i disagree....i think the best chance of making the playoffs was to keep Manny.

they could have packaged Hansen and Moss and gone after another reliever.

now our offense is less potent and we still have pitching problems....

Merloni was saying that our lineup just got deeper because it adds one more guy to Youk, Lowell, Drew etc....

how exactly did you get deeper when all you did was swap Manny for Bay?

personally, i think this is the wave of the future for us.....guys like Bay who are solid all-around good guys who are about as exciting as a sack of potatoes......just like the A's but with more money....

This season, the numbers of Bay and Manny are essentially a wash.  Plus, Bay is younger, cheaper, and isn't going to disrupt the clubhouse.

Yes, the Sox have some pitching issues but I don't think the offense is all of a sudden going to drop off the map because of this trade.

Who cares how exciting he is?  It's not about style, its about substance and right now, Bay can contribute.

[bbc3341]

Bay and Manny have very similar production with Bay having a higher OBP and slugging % - with more men on base, he'll knock in a ton of runs and he is fast and plays better defense, will run out ground balls, a be a positive influence on the younger guys... I really like this deal!

[Mr October]

Sox would have let Manny walk after this year and gotten nothing in return, this way they get rid of him now and get an All-Star level 30+ HR guy in return, they did have to give up some young guys, but nothing that really bothers me. I like the trade for this year and for next year - Bay makes around 7 million next year, so there's 13 million to add something else via free agency... Bay's #s this year are almost identical to Manny's...

Yeah that free'd up cash will be nice. I'm worried about loosing a curse-breaker, a loosey-goosey guy in the clutch. I think this was the right move though.

[murphman]

The loss of Manny makes us a much less potent baseball team. This was about egos, not baseball. I simply doubt that Bay will strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers in the playoffs. Manny has and will. Lest we forget how unbelievable he was in Last years playoffs. If he wasnt acting like an unconscionable jerk, he'd still be on the team. No question. When a team is forced to make a trade for that reason, they almost never get full value in return.

[winsomme]

The trade that had to happen happened. The fact that we had to give up a couple of guys who I feel weren't going to make it in this town anyway, is negligible. In order to get someone to slip into Manny's spot that just might be as productive or even more productive than Manny for the rest of this year, they had to go.

Jason Bay produced a .282 average, 22 HRs, 64 RBIs, 72 runs, and near .900 OPS hitting fourth with this order around him:

McLouth
Sanchez
Doumit
Bay
Nady

How good is Bay going to be in this order:

Perdroia
Youkilis
Ortiz
Bay
Drew
Lowell

And apparently, at least I haven't seen it reported, the Sox didn't have to pay the remaining $7 million of Manny's salary.

I like the trade. I like Bay. He will be less expensive over the few years and is a good fit in this lineup. He's no Manny but it's a lot better than having to play Coco and Ellsbury everyday the rest of the year.

i hope you are right, nick.....i think our lineup just got a lot less intimidating. teams are just going to pitch around Ortiz in every big at-bat. if i was Tampa i would be more happy the the Sox lost Manny than them losing Bay....and the Yanks and the Twins must be jumping for joy.

but Bay is gonna get a lot of burn, so the proof will be in the pudding as the saying goes. let's see how it plays out.

[Steve Weinman]

Dodgers don't give up squat here.

There has to be more to it. 

Laroche is a top level prospect.  They didn't pay a ton, but they did pay for it.

As a Dodger Fan (in addition to Sox fan), Laroche kept struggling to make the leap. They've brought him up a couple times and he's struggled. Sincere skepticism that he was ever going to make the leap.

Amen.  It's worth remembering that the third base job hadn't exactly been a site of a logjam of talent lately for Dem Bums -- Blake DeWitt held down the spot for most of the season, and he'd never had an at-bat above Double-A before opening day.  Nomar spent most of the season hurt and is now playing short in lieu of Furcal...yet Laroche -- for all his big-time potential -- continued to struggle.  While I don't purport to suggest that he is a lost cause (it's quite a bit early for that), dealing him to get Manny is a slam-dunk for this beloved baseball team in my book.

I've said for some time now that I didn't care what the package was -- whatever it took to get the world's greatest hitting goofball in a Dodgers uniform should have been signed, sealed and delivered as soon as possible.  To think that it didn't require Matt Kemp...wow.  It's just gravy.

Looking forward to at least a few months of having this guy around.

-sw

[nickagneta]

Manny will be a perfect fit in Los Angeles. He's just like those fans in the stands. He shows up to play somewhere around the second inning and wants to leave the park before the game is over.

[moskqq]

Dennis Rodman, Ron Artest and Manny...they all have something in common.  They can make or BREAK a franchise and they're all both players and distractions.  What price glory?  I doubt that we could repeat whether or not Manny stayed, especially if he continued to pout and forget he was being paid to play like a star.

Forget the records, this guy is a bum that failed to play like a champion.  Unlike many bloggers, I can't dismiss the fact that he was gifted with a  skill, paid like a star and performed like a petulant CHILD. Sure, his many misdeeds were amusing but what a disservice to the game!

[Mean Gerald Green]

O happy day!

What a beautiful day to be a Dodgers fan 

-sw

As a Sox fan, I'm a bit stunned. They'll miss hit bat in the fall. oh well.

As a Dodger fan, I'm really excited!!!

Jason Bay is no slouch. He's actually a really solid all around player.

It's surprising they didn't get some bullpen help in the deal however.

solid just doesn't cut it when you are replacing one of the best hitters ever.....and is anybody else bothered by the lack of diversity on this team?

Give Bay a chance...my guess is the use the rest of Manny's money to sign Sabathia...which gives them a chance to compete for a World Series for the next 4 or 5 years.

[Sweet17]

Stupid trade. The only thing similiar about Bay and Manny are their homerun numbers. Manny is a far superior all around hitter. He walks more - he is the smarter hitter. He can hit good pitching.

John Henry and company suffer from a bit too much holier then thou complex.. They need to learn how to manage some egos..

Pete

[winsomme]

Let's face it, it was addition by subtraction, and they did everything they could to (and paid a premium) to do it without losing much in the way of production.

This was a classic Red Sox/Yankees move.  In pure value, this is not a great move, but the Sox can easily afford it both in money and prospects, because they felt they couldn't just "punt" and trade Manny straight up for prospects.

This deal does not excite me...but it does make a lot of sense.

Not to mention, we kept Bay from going to Tampa, which also helps us in the race this year.

i disagree....i think the best chance of making the playoffs was to keep Manny.

they could have packaged Hansen and Moss and gone after another reliever.

now our offense is less potent and we still have pitching problems....

Merloni was saying that our lineup just got deeper because it adds one more guy to Youk, Lowell, Drew etc....

how exactly did you get deeper when all you did was swap Manny for Bay?

personally, i think this is the wave of the future for us.....guys like Bay who are solid all-around good guys who are about as exciting as a sack of potatoes......just like the A's but with more money....

This season, the numbers of Bay and Manny are essentially a wash.  Plus, Bay is younger, cheaper, and isn't going to disrupt the clubhouse.

Yes, the Sox have some pitching issues but I don't think the offense is all of a sudden going to drop off the map because of this trade.

Who cares how exciting he is?  It's not about style, its about substance and right now, Bay can contribute.

first off, style matters to me. i like the personalities. i loved the dirt dogs and the"idiots" and Damon's Disciples....i love that stuff. it gives a team character. not when it replaces winning, but when it accentuates it.

second, this is not a simple math equation. the Manny/Ortiz combo was one the most formidable in the league. Ortiz/Bay......ummmm, not so much.

to me his age is irrelevant. the Sox have enough money that they can go get whoever they want. Bay could be replaced in a heart beat. they could have kept Manny and gone and got someone next season easily as good as Bay.

the only question is how the lineup functions as a whole. with Manny and Ortiz we won two WS. this team could easily miss the playoffs.

i'm willing to give it a shot, but if i was a Yankees fans i would be celebrating right now.

[Mean Gerald Green]

Let's face it, it was addition by subtraction, and they did everything they could to (and paid a premium) to do it without losing much in the way of production.

This was a classic Red Sox/Yankees move.  In pure value, this is not a great move, but the Sox can easily afford it both in money and prospects, because they felt they couldn't just "punt" and trade Manny straight up for prospects.

This deal does not excite me...but it does make a lot of sense.

Not to mention, we kept Bay from going to Tampa, which also helps us in the race this year.

i disagree....i think the best chance of making the playoffs was to keep Manny.

they could have packaged Hansen and Moss and gone after another reliever.

now our offense is less potent and we still have pitching problems....

Merloni was saying that our lineup just got deeper because it adds one more guy to Youk, Lowell, Drew etc....

how exactly did you get deeper when all you did was swap Manny for Bay?

personally, i think this is the wave of the future for us.....guys like Bay who are solid all-around good guys who are about as exciting as a sack of potatoes......just like the A's but with more money....

This season, the numbers of Bay and Manny are essentially a wash.  Plus, Bay is younger, cheaper, and isn't going to disrupt the clubhouse.

Yes, the Sox have some pitching issues but I don't think the offense is all of a sudden going to drop off the map because of this trade.

Who cares how exciting he is?  It's not about style, its about substance and right now, Bay can contribute.

first off, style matters to me. i like the personalities. i loved the dirt dogs and the"idiots" and Damon's Disciples....i love that stuff. it gives a team character. not when it replaces winning, but when it accentuates it.

second, this is not a simple math equation. the Manny/Ortiz combo was one the most formidable in the league. Ortiz/Bay......ummmm, not so much.

to me his age is irrelevant. the Sox have enough money that they can go get whoever they want. Bay could be replaced in a heart beat. they could have kept Manny and gone and got someone next season easily as good as Bay.

the only question is how the lineup functions as a whole. with Manny and Ortiz we won two WS. this team could easily miss the playoffs.

i'm willing to give it a shot, but if i was a Yankees fans i would be celebrating right now.

That's one thing we can agree on, they just gained a huge mental edge on the Red Sox.